


Prove Thyself

by Shorknado



Series: The Universe Will Be Kind [1]
Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medium Burn, Other survivors and killers but these are the main boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:28:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21652276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shorknado/pseuds/Shorknado
Summary: It's always in hindsight that we notice the smallest choices are the ones that change our lives the most. For Dwight Fairfield he doesn't expect his life to change, there was no exciting future ahead of him, and nothing of note in his past. He was rooted to a menial existence in the hell that was the Fog.The choice to trust in another is no small one, but it's well worth it.
Relationships: Dwight Fairfield/Jake Park
Series: The Universe Will Be Kind [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955761
Comments: 20
Kudos: 87





	1. Broken Key

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again boys. This is technically set before calm spirit but they can be read in either order. Same universe as ghostfrank

Dwight Fairfield wasn't going to die. Not this trial, not again. 

Too many times in a row he had died. It hurt so much now. Every trial he failed the pain seemed to multiply tenfold, it was that Things way of punishing them, pushing them harder and harder until they broke. 

Dwight was about to break.

Slowly he lets out a breath and peeks around the corner. The tall lumbering Trapper picks up another one of his namesake traps and looks around thoughtfully. He ducks back and prepares to do something horrendous. 

Twenty or so feet away was David. He could sense the man in that strange way he was able to, bright yellow outline of the man working on a generator. They were the last two left, and with only two generators powered...there wasn't a lot of hope in his heart for escape. 

The Hatch was his last light. To keep it burning, someone needed to die. 

Dwight stands and breaks into a run, leaping over a window as loudly as he can. Immedietly he hears footsteps behind him, approaching far too quickly for his plan to work. He starts towards a pallet leaning against the wall, barely catching sight of the trap in time to jump over it and dart left. David jerks up from the generator, giving Dwight a panicked and scared look as the machine lets out a loud explosion. 

He prays that lady luck blesses him for once as he runs away from the boarded walls and ducks behind a rock. The air is still and stale as Dwight's heart hammers in his chest, taking slow even breaths. 

A snap and a scream secure David's fate. Immediately Dwight rises and runs in the opposite direction, keeping his eyes on the ground for the hatch and traps. He hops over more than a few traps as David's screams echo through the prison of tonights trial. Dwight crouches pressing against the wall of the dilapidated shack, and he waits. 

It takes forever for the minutes to pass, until he feels the warm pulse of the Thing taking David away. Relief floods Dwight's body and he starts moving, keeping low and quite as he listens for the wind. He needed to move faster than what was hunting him. Or else it would hurt, the pain would be so unbearable. He needed to survive at all costs. 

Wind. Hope. 

Dwight starts running. He sees the open hatch, inky darkness practically wafting out with the warm air. His heart starts to race as he takes a running jump, clearing the bear trap and plunging into the warm dark in a single, easy movement. 

Every ache and pain vanishes. The burn in his side, the pain in his joints, his chronic migrain, the tense shoulders. Everything is gone. Dwight relaxes, and floats in a void.

He lived. No matter the cost. He lived and thats all that he needed. 

\- -

Those that escape trials always get back to the campfire first. The process of reanimation is longer than a simple stiching up from the fog. You get back from it almost more exhausted than before the trial. That sorta thing wears you down after a while, it breaks the bones and make the rush for survival more desperate.

That's why Dwight did what he did. He felt guilty yes, but he couldn't be ashamed. Death was not an escape, he needed to live. To dull the pain. 

It's what he told himself as he walked back to the bright beacon. Smiling gently at Laurie and Ace as they sat silently around the fire. If he remembered correctly Bill should be emerging soon, followed by Claudette then David. 

He drops down next to Ace, letting out a sigh and looking up towards the murky sky. Ace nudges his shoulder and flashes him a playful smile. 

"Have fun?"

"Can't say I did, Ace."

The man hums thoughtfully and tilts his sunglasses towards Dwight. Ace reaches forward and takes the newly refreshed pack of cigarretes from Dwight's pocket. Stealing two before retuning the packet to him. 

"Hatch game?" He asks, lighting his cigarette from the campfire. 

He looks away from the black shades and nods. Guilt crawls down his back and churns his stomach. 

"Yeah." 

Ace nods in understanding and falls silent. The crackling of the fire covers up the light footsteps behind him until the soft voice speaks up. 

"Good job." Jake murmers, stepping over the log and taking a seat across from him. The praise makes him smile. 

Slowly Dwight relaxes, staring into the flickering flames and enjoing the survivors high before the next trial rips it away. He would try his best next time, now that he was feeling better and-

"Fairfield!" 

The roar sends Dwight to his feet, but he doesn't run. Instead turning to face the very angry figure of David storming out of the woods. Followed by a confused looking Claudette and ever stoic Bill. His heart starts to race as he makes out an expression that can only be described as the wrath of a god. Dwight remains silent, unable to bring himself to run away into the woods. 

"You fucken' cunt! The fuck was that about?" David yells, stepping over the log and arriving neatly into Dwight's personal space. 

Finally Dwight gathers himself enough to take a few quick steps back, raising his hands and trying to deescalate the situation. 

"David I-"

"You led that monster right to me!" David hisses, unrelenting as his bandaged hands grab Dwights shirt, "I know you did!"

Dwight's eyes dart around. Past David, he can see most of the others. Ace pointedly stares at the fire, while most openly gawk at them. Not that he blamed them, rarely get a show like this. 

"Just calm down, David." He says, taking on his customer service voice, "There's-"

David reels back and punches Dwight in the face so fast and hard he scarcely registers the pain over the crack of his nose. 

"I know you used that ability of yours to find me, then you left me for dead on that hook. Don't think I didn't see it." David growls, voice dropping to a more frightening tone, "You dumb fucking-"

Dwight clenched his fist and rams it into David's jaw. 

It was no secret he and David didn't like eachother. Since the day that man emerged from the fog Dwight disliked him. The man was loud, agressive, abrasive, and rude. His personality rubbed Dwight the wrong way, and as much as he tried to hide it, David knew. He knew that Dwight hated him and took advantage of it. Always pushing his buttons anytime he even looked at him the wrong way. David didn't hate him back of course, he just wanted to piss someone off. 

That's why Dwight did it. If it was anyone, anyone else that was in that trial he would have died fair and square. But since it was David, and since he died so many times before this trial, since his pain was so great and horrible, he was able to kill David. 

David's fist connects with his gut next and Dwight gasps. He can't pull away from David so instead he starts to claw at the mans hands and arms. Digging his nails in the skin and pulling up blood. Rage starts to bubble in his chest, suppressed anger at this violent awful man coming to the surface. 

"So what! Who cares! You just come back anyway!" Dwight screams, starting to thrash in David's grip, kicking at the mans legs, "What was I supposed to do!"

"Work on the fuckin' generators and open the damn door! Not sit on the hatch while I hang there." David yells back, shaking Dwight so violently his glasses fall off. 

"I'd rather die than work with you." Dwight hisses, "You're just a dumb jock with a life on a silver platter that you drink away!"

David's brown eyes take on a new type of darkness and he shoves Dwight away. He stumbles, tripping over the log behind him and falling to the dirt with a pained grunt. His head bangs onto a rock and stars flash before his eyes. David's weight drops onto Dwight and he feels hands wrap around his neck. 

"At least I don't let my friends fucking die."

"Y-you're not my friend."

The hands on his neck cut off his air. He can see the blurry forms of the other survivors behind David and wonders why no one was helping. Maybe it was the strange overwhelming presence he felt as soon as David started yelling. A warm and heavy weight pushing against the back of his head, whispering at him to make David feel worse. To push him. To push himself. He claws at the hands, gasping desperately as he tries to wiggle out of the large mans grasp. He can feel blood on his fingers. 

_"Pen"_

The voice emminates from a place deep in his mind. Foreign and hot, it coos at him. Repeating that one word.

_"Pen. Pen. Pen. Pen."_

Dwight reaches into his shirt pocket, next to the cigarette pack was a fountain pen. One of the small joys in Dwight's life before this hell was calligraphy. He took a small amount of pride in his handwriting and expresses that with high quality writing utensils. With his thumb, he pops the cap off the pen and grips it in his fist. 

The nib was sharp, and seemed to flash in the campfire. Dripping with red ink. He never used red ink. 

Did he use red ink? No....no it was black? Right?

The voice in his mind rumbles and tells him to drive the pen into David's head and twist. To stab him until the hands at his throat relent and he can breath. Until he feels hot blood, brain and gore drip onto his face. 

His knuckes turn white, and stares into David's eyes one more time before he personally takes the light out of them. They seem to soften.

The pain in his throat stops, and Dwight gasps for air. He lets the hand gripping the pen fall to the ground. Coughing violently as David sits up on his haunches and stares down at him. Dwight can see him taking slow and deep breaths. 

"Don't..." David starts, pausing to take another breath, "Don't come near me. Trials. Here. I don't care."

The man leans down, dropping his voice to a menacing whisper, "Or I will fuckin' kill you, Fairfield."

Then David stands and walks away. Just like that the pressure drains from the campsite. Immediately everyone jumps into action. He can see blurry form of Ace following after David, voice fading as the scrapper vanishes into the trees. Dwight sits up, looking down at the fountain pen in his hand for a moment before finding the cap and tucking it in his pocket. He wipes the blood away from his nose, sniffling painfully and squinting around for his glasses. 

No one was approaching him, and that was okay. He really didn't deserve to be comforted. Not after what he did. His fingers brush the warm metal frames and he stands. Putting the glasses on as he turns away from the fire, stumbling as he tries to escape through the tears filling his eyes. 

Warm leather brushes his arm and he flinches, looking over to see Jake at his side. His face was serious and firm, but Dwight could see concern in the mans dark eyes. 

"We need to talk." 

Dwight looks down at his feet and nods, bringing a hand up to wipe away a few tears. Jake's hand gently wraps around his upper bicep, and leads him down a small, slightly worn path towards his campsight. Jake had set up a cute little lean to made of logs a small distance away from the main campfire. It was fairly large, Jake could stand at his full height at the tallest point. He had found a tarp in the woods somewhere to cover the entrace. The man had made it clear he liked his privacy, so the fact he was taking Dwight here for a talk meant it was going to be bad. Jake gestures toward the entrance. 

"Sit. I'll patch you up."

Dwight nods, crouching down and taking a seat on the folded scraps of fabric near the wall of branches. Jake crawls in after him, grabbing a medkit from the neat stack of supplies near the back of the shelter. He sits still as Jake removes his glasses and starts gently dabbing the blood away from his face with a sponge, carefully avoiding his tender nose. Dwight stares down at his hands, waiting for Jake to speak.

"What happened with David?" Jake asks finally, voice soft and understanding. 

Dwight stares at his glasses, awkwardly trying to fix the crooked legs of the lenses. 

"Exactly what he said. I left him to die to get out." He admits, rubbing his temples, "I just...I had to. It-It fucking hurts Jake. It hurts so much. The past few trials I've died, there's so much pain, and I just couldn't take it anymore." 

Jake is silent as he packs up the medkit, tucking it back in its spot. He glances up into the ever stoic face and puts his glasses back on. 

"Dwight...you...you really did that?" The other man asks, disappointment sharp as a knife. It makes Dwight flinch. 

"Yeah, I did. I lead Trapper right to him and let him step in a trap. I just...left him." Dwight wraps his arms around himself and sighs, "I just...wanted the pain to stop for a little bit."

Jake awkwardly looks away, rubbing his shoulder and staring into the woods. 

"...I understand where you're coming from. It's wasn't...right, but it's obvious you feel guilty and.." Jake sighs, running his fingers through his hair, "Are you going to do it again?"

Dwight bites his lip and thinks about that question. Would he do that again? If the pain got too much was he going to kill someone for it to stop?

"I know you...didn't ask to be a leader, especially not our leader, but this is- what you did is fucked up. I'm sure we've done it unconsciously or accidentally, left someone to save ourselves, but...for you to do that to David...it's...it doesn't inspire trust." Jake says bluntly. 

Dwight nods, taking a few slow breaths. He wasn't really estatic taking the role as a leader for this nightmare scape. But he did his best, he organized the rest as well as he could during trials. Making sure everyone survives at the sacrifice of himself more often than not. He wasn't able to hide and run away as easily as so many, all he could do was find others. That was the only ability he had been granted by the Entity. 

"I'm sorry." Dwight whispers, "I'm so sorry."

"David needs to hear that."

"I know."

Jake pats his knee in a comforting gesture, "It's no secret you don't like David, but you can count on him. I've seen that guy take more hits than anyone else, run any killer around for as long as it takes to get us safe."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Dwight huffs.

"No. I'm trying to make you feel bad." Jake replies, nonplussed by Dwight's annoyance, "David would do anything to save you in a trial, even after this...Incident. Even if he hates your guts. He would never give up on you, and you shouldn't give up on him."

Tears come to his eyes. Jake was right and he hates it. He hates how selfless David was. Fuck that guy.

"I know. I know." Dwight murmurs.

Jakes hand squeezes his knee and Dwight looks up.

"I'll admit it, I haven't been the best in trials too. I let people hang on the hook longer than I should, I hide more than I work with others. But...when I'm with you...in a trial I feel...inspired. I work faster, and we live longer. You always know where we are when we need it. You're a good leader, Dwight."

A smile comes to his face, and he looks away. Raising a hand to cover his mouth. 

"Show me what you can do." Jake says softly, giving Dwight a small smile. It makes his stomach flutter. 

Jake pulls away, leaning back on his arms and lets out a thoughtful hum. His presence had calmed Dwight down immensely. He was still sore from his fight with David, each swallow hurt but he felt more at peace. Even if he died, even if it hurt, he wasn't going to give up anymore.

"Do you want to know how I find people?" Dwight asks, bringing his knees to his chest to rest his head on his arms. 

Jake tilts his head curiously before cautiously nodding.

They don't talk about their gifts, the abilities granted to them by the fog. No one wanted to think about the implications of such feats. The way Nea could move so fast while crouched, or how David could just continually get up after being knocked down, why he and Claudette could find others so fast. It was an unspoken rule to not mention it. But he wanted to help Jake as much as the man had helped him.

"Think about your teammates, where they could be. Once they get close enough you'll see them, or just kinda feel them y'know? Something tells you that Laurie or Bill are only a few feet away." Dwight explains, watching Jake tilt is head with a small frown. 

The mans gaze drifts towards the campfire, and his eyes widen in shock. They dart between him and the golden silhouettes only twenty feet away. 

"Oh my god." Jake whispers, "You...you see that all the time?" 

Dwight nods, "When I'm not in a trial I have to focus it, but in the trial I see everyone all the time."

"Damn...you really fucked David over back there." 

"Usually I run the killer away from everyone, why I get caught so fast." Dwight replies with shrug. This seems to catch Jake's interest, as the man sits up in attetion. 

"When you get attacked in a trial if you just...concetrate on what you're doing you can become numb to the pain. Won't help now but maybe next trial you can...try it." Jake offers up, "It might help you hide better."

Dwight smiles, unsure if he wanted to cry or hug Jake for all he had done for him in these moments. They had been through a lot together, him, Claudette and Meg had a certain bond that went beyond the others. They had been here what felt like first, and they would be here for a long while after. No matter how close they all were there was still boundaries, unspoken rules and broken bridges they dared not cross. 

He can't help but think they had discovered something very powerful in eachother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally dont like describing trials but it is necessary. Trials dont work 100% as they do in game, survivors cannot talk or fight back, but theyre able to do other things.


	2. Chalk Pouch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally cant wait for dwight and jake lore

Jake felt a sense of impending doom, and figured that meant he was due for a trial. He rises from the array of fabrics that make up the floor of his fort amd trudges over to the campfire. He had a chalk pouch he wanted to toss in, even if they felt useless to burn. Ace always begged to differ, claiming luck favors were far more useful than any sachet or shroud. He steps past the log and tosses the pouch into the flames, watching them spike and shudder before calming.

"Good luck, huh?" Meg offers, pacing circles around the campfire, "It's me and you so far. Dunno who the other two are."

Working with Meg wasn't too bad. They were familiar with eachother, both being more on the solo side than others. He nods and takes a seat on the log, not wanting to wear himself down before the game even started. It would be nice to have someone more team oriented with them. If Laurie or Kate joined he doubted they would get much headway on generators. They needed someone who was willing to push them all together. Mostly he just wanted to work with Dwight, but he wasn't about to start admitting it. 

"Nice team here, innit?" David chimes in, tossing a sachet of white flowers into the fire, "Who's lucky number four?"

Jake glances around in time to see Dwight stop behind him. The man was holding a medkit, and he underhand tosses a large bloom of bright golden flowers into the flame. The fire spikes, growing six foot high as the fog ominiously rolls in on the group. 

"Meg and David are on unhook duty. Jake and I will focus on generators. I have faith in us." Dwight says with confidence. 

David lets out a grunt of affirmation and Meg rests her hands on her hips. 

"If I'm caught first again I'm going to lose my damn temper."

"With caught first King on our team, I think you're safe." Jake offers, raising his eyebrows as Meg laughs and David flips him off.

Jake is hopeful that this trial would go well. Even when the fog rolls in and burns his existence away to their little microscopic inferno. 

\----

Jake wipes the grease off his gloves and sticks his hands back in the machine, looking left for a few moments before looking back down. He hears Dwight huff an annoyed noise as he bangs a fist against the generator in frustration. This magically seems to work as the light above them flips on and the machine chugs away. 

That leaves one more. He and Dwight had managed to lay low most of the trial, David and Meg had gotten at least one generator done while spending most of the time running the Wraith around to let them work on the machines in peace. The golden aura of David comes into view as the pair join him on the three man generator. David smiles and nods at Jake, pointedly ignoring Dwight. Whatever gets them through the trial. 

Jake snaps his fingers to catch David's attention. When the man looks up Jake mouths Meg and tilts his head. David holds up two fingers and makes a running motion before raising a finger to his lips and shooshes. 

The hardest part of the trials was the inability to talk. Most he had ever heard someone talk were a few screams that could be interpreted as no. The most they could do was point, wave, and mouth words. Maybe one day someone who knew sign language would drop in. 

Thankfully the generator sounded close to being done, the pistons at the top were starting to chug quickly. Maybe everyone would get out this time. 

Dwight lets out a yelp as he's yanked off the generator and hefted onto the shoulder of the Wraith. The piercing white eyes stare down at Jake as he jerks away from the machine and takes off running. He ducks behind a tree and catches his breath. Listening to the shrill gut wrenching scream as Dwight is dumped on a hook. Wraith hadn't been doing well this trial, meaning it would be more keen on securing this kill. A rescue attempt would be difficult. 

He looks back, watching David's golden aura creep towards Dwight. Slowly Jake comes out from behind the tree, keeping low as he rushes over and presses himself against the borded wall. Immedietly David leaps out the window, making a mad dash towards the corn. The Wraith steps through the window, only inches away from where Jake was crouched, following after David like a bloodhound. Jake waits for his heart to slow before jumping through the window and running to Dwight. Lifting his limp body off the hook and dropping him to the ground. 

Dwight gestures for Jake to follow and takes off the oppisite way Wraith and David had run. Leading Jake right to a bleeding Meg toiling away at the sparking generator. She moves to help, but Jake holds out a hand, pointing to the machine. That came first, he could help Dwight on his own. The man takes a seat, leaning against the wall and letting out a slow breath. He holds the medkit out to Jake before unbuttoning his shirt and pushing the fabric aside to reveal the gaping hole in his shoulder. 

Jake wastes no time grabbing a needle and thread from the kit. He practically sits in Dwight's lap to get closer, pinching the skin together and rapidly suturing the wound. As long as he worked carefully enough the injury would heal itself over time. He ties off the thread, leaning down to bite the excess off with his teeth before pulling Dwight forward and providing the same treatment to his back. He tapes a gauze pad onto the stiches for good mesure and packs away the needle as Dwight buttons his shirt, taking his medkit and moving to the generator. 

He barely turns one socket before the engine roars to life and the exit gates sound off. Meg dashes off towards door, and Jake starts towards the other door. He can hear Dwight following behind him and takes comfort in the fact that he had a lookout as he pulls down the lever and waits for the lights to power on. 

David's shriek of pain pirces the air as the ground rumbles, signaling that Meg had opened her door. Heat starts to immenate from the ground as Jake's door slides open. Dwight's shoe scuffs the cement as Jake grabs his arm to stop him. The mans soft brown eyes meet Jake's with a firm and angry gaze. He tugs Dwight's arm and nods his head toward the ethereal outline of David's limp body. 

Dwight shakes his head, and Jake grips his arm harder. Digging his fingers in and tugging him back into the trial. That Incident was a long time ago, he needed to get the fuck over it. He let's out a long suffering sigh and releases the man, pushing him away as he turns back and starts running towards David. 

The golden silhouette of Meg comes into view as he approaches the hill David was hooked on. He couldn't see the Wraith, but that didn't mean it wasn't around. Jake takes a breath and is about to run in when Dwight runs past him. Vaulting a window, and making an incredible amount noise as he dashes towards David. From the doorway of the house the air shimmers and the Wraith appears, bell silenced and menecing. 

Jake watches in shock as Dwight unhooks David and shoves a syringe into the mans shoulder. He pushes the plunger down and David takes off like a bat out of hell. Narrowly missing the Wraith's cleaver as the creature roars in rage. Jake takes the hint and starts running towards the exit, glancing behind to watch the golden figures scatter. Meg had run too far to see but by the looks of it David had evaded being tracked and was on his way to the exit. 

Dwight seemed to have caught the heat instead, running in zigzags trying to dodge the wayward hits and screams of rage from the monster. He slows when the escape comes into view, ground rumbling as the red streaks burn his feet through his shoes. He watches Dwight leap through a window and stumble, falling to a knee before rising again and running. He can see the exhaustion and fear etched into the mans face as Jake reaches out his hand.

The mans grip is so hard Jake feels like his bones will break and he pulls Dwight forward through the threshold into the fog. He entwines his fingers with Dwight's as the fog overtakes them, ripping the small intimacy away. 

\- -

A bird chirps, and Jake feels at ease. Reinvigorated he starts towards the fire, eagar to listen to David and Meg's retelling of the trial. They had a more exciting tale to tell, considering they saw plenty of action. He and Dwight spent most of the trial heads down in the gears. 

"Nice play, Park! Don't think I didn't see you next to that window!" David calls, bursting out of the bushes and giving him a hearty slap on the back. 

"Thanks."

"Not the Caught First King this time, innit?"

Jake rolls his eyes, shrugging the hand off as the fire comes into view, "Good job."

"Next time you're on chase duty." David teases, waving as Meg breaks through the trees a few hundred yards away. 

"Can't get chased if I'm not found."

"Ain't exactly Nea, love. Can't hide those broad shoulders forever." David teases, ruffling Jakes hair and making his way to Meg to exchange a high five. 

Jake frowns, straightening his hair in annoyance. He didn't like it when David teased him like that, guy was always trying to push his buttons. Thankfully Jake hadn't given him much material to work with. 

"Don't let him get to you."

"You're one to talk."

Dwight shrugs, raising his hands with in defeat, "Guilty as charged. I went back for him, alright. Used my syringe and everything. And guess what? Won't even thank me."

"Do I really have broad shoulders?" Jake asks, steering Dwight away from dark thoughts. 

It works like a charm. Dwight turns to him, eyes trailing up and down his body. The action actually makes a bit of heat rise to Jake's cheeks and he subtly tugs his scarf up. 

"They're not unproportional."

"You flatter me." Jake replies dryly. 

The campfire was surprisingly full, aside from Meg and David he could see Nea, Quentin and Kate sitting around. Kate was strumming a tune on her guitar as the other two seemed to be playing a game of tic tac toe. As much as he enjoyed the company he doesn't quite feel like socializing, and breaks off towards the woods. 

"Wanna go to the quarry?" Dwight asks, "I don't really wanna...deal with him."

"Sure."

They walk side by side, shoulders brushing occasionally as they make their way down the vauge path towards the small lake. The water was lukewarm and still as all a grave. Clear down to the obsidian black depths. Nothing had emerged from the inky darkness to cut them to bits with a machete yet, so as far as Jake was concerened it was safe enough. He kicks off his boots and socks, rolling his pants up to his knees before sitting on the edge of the water and dipping his feet in. Dwight sits next to him, crossing his legs to keep his feet dry. 

"Thank you. For coming back." Jake offers in liue of David's absent appreciation. 

"I did it for you." Dwight replies bluntly, "If you weren't there I would have left him hanging."

The words make Jake's stomach twist and he stares at the ripples of the water that he was kicking up. There were a lot of ways he could take that confession, none of which he was comfortable with. 

"It-It's good. That you were there to stop me." Dwight adds after a elongated silences, Jake can see him shifting out of the corner of his eye, "Once you...start cutting corners it becomes easier and easier to just...leave."

He hears Dwight take a deep breath, and turns to look at him. A frown was etched into the mans tired face, brown eyes stared sadly into the endless depth below. Almost a mirror image. 

"I don't want to take the easy way out. Not anymore, not here." 

The conviction in Dwight's voice is pure and true. He had grown so much from their first time here. From the first trial guided by half remembered names and faces of those before. They had changed so much despite the world around them being endless monotony. Instead of breaking, the cracks in Dwight's morals had filled and made him stronger. Jake hopes he can find that drive to become stronger himself one day. 

"Was...was that dumb? That was really dumb I'm sorry. You don't need a peptalk its not-"

Jake places a hand on Dwight's back and shoves him into the water. The mans shriek is cut short as he is submerged, coming up for air seconds later gasping. His glasses askew but miraculously still in place. 

"Why did you do that!"

"Dunno." Jake replies, pushing Dwight away from land with his foot when he attempts to paddle closer, "Thought you needed a dip."

Dwight lets out a laugh, taking off his glasses and tossing them to Jake. He catches them and gently sets the on the shore. As soon as the glasses are safe he feels Dwight grip his leg and yank him forward. Jake lets out a shocked gasp, only falling half way into the water before catching himself of the edge of the lake. 

"Stop that!" 

"Thought you needed a dip." Dwight mocks, gripping hands grasping the ends of Jake's jacket as he goes limp. The weight finally drags Jake into the lake as well. 

When hes fully submerged Dwight relents and Jake surfaces, tredding water and holding back a smile. 

"You're a dick."

Dwight smiles back at him. He looked odd without his glasses, the dark circles under his eyes more proununced. Wet hair clung to the mans forehead and his shirt had become completely see through. Jake was sure that he himself looked like a wet rat right at this moment. 

"You're one to talk after pushing me in first!"

"Oh, did I do that? You fell in."

Dwight splashes a handful of warm water at Jake. He makes no move to dodge, considering he deserved it. With that Dwight dog paddles to the edge of the lake, hefting himself onto land with a grunt.

"You ruined my cigarettes." Dwight whines, lossening his tie and unbuttoning his soaking shirt , "You better help me find some new clothes."

Jake pulls himself out of the water, shaking off to get even more water on Dwight than before. Every now and then they would find suitcases filled with clothes near the edges of the woods, or start trials in old outfits from their past. Jake usually stashed them away in his lean to for later wear, a few of the others also had their own little private camps they stored personal items the entity blessed them with. Dwight he wasn't so sure of. 

"Maybe we can find that one blue and brown shirt again." 

"Oh god I hate that shirt." Dwight whines, dumping water out of his shoes.

"I dunno, I got a good vest out of it." Jake offers, squeezing out his scarf and tying his jacket around his waist. 

"Everyone else got good clothes. I just got pink pants and an ugly shirt!" 

"What about the blue one with red triangles?"

Dwight hesitates, " ...I did like that one."

"Why didn't you keep it?"

The man shrugs, following Jake as they trudge deeper into the woods in search of dry clothing. 

"I misplaced it. The fog started me in a sweater I used to wear in college and I never could find it again." Dwight muses, leaving the last three buttons undone and his tie hanging loose. It was a good look on him. 

"I can make you a shelter. Fog doesn't seem to take things when we return to an area repeatedly." Jake offers, having built similar shelters for Meg and Kate. 

"Maybe we can add an addition to yours."

"Take me out to dinner before you move in."

Dwight's face goes completely scarlet as he starts to panic. Stuttering out a broken excuse of that not what I meant. It brings a smile to Jake's face, and he allows the man to flounder for longer than what is kind. 

"Don't worry about it. You can visit anytime, store whatever you want in there." Jake says, calming his panicking friend.

"...Are you sure?"

"Seriously, Dwight. Its no big deal."

He hears a crow caw in the distance and catches sight of a large trunk. Dwight follows his gaze and they quickly make their way towards it. The lock is is rusty enough that a few strikes with a rock are enough to break it, releasing the treasure inside. 

"..Sweaters?" Dwight mutters, riffling through the multicolor knitted mess. 

"Huh." Jake replies, watching Dwight hold up a purple knit sweater that said game over on the back. 

"Oh hey I know this!" Dwight says, pulling a black and multicolored sweater from the recesses of the trunck. He immediately pulls off his button up and tugs the sweater on. 

"Fitting." Jake says, crouching down and pulling out a familiar sweater. 

"Let's take em' all back to camp." Dwight says, starting to neatly fold a few sweaters. 

"Why?"

"Why not? It'll be like...like Christmas!" Dwight stands and passes Jake an armful of of sweaters, folding the last few before rising and starting towards camp. Jake has no choice but to follow. 

"Not exactly Christmas weather out here." Jake deadpans, not feeling the slightest chill despite being without his jacket and in a tank top. 

"You can't stop me from dolling out sweaters like candy." 

"Guess I can't." 

The walk in relative silence, Dwight rifles through the sweaters curiously after a bit. Taking a look at the armful Jake was holding too. 

"What?"

"Which one is yours?"

Jake shifts the bundle in his arms and pulls out the colorful sweater, holding it up for Dwight to see. 

"Fitting." Dwight parrots. 

Jake rolls his eyes but pauses to set down his stack of sweaters and pull the bear one on. It still smells like pine and smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweater orgin story next


	3. Sweet Williams Sachet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im on a roll boys, just finished the last chapters rough draft and i should get the rest up soon!

The sweaters were a big hit. Dwight was happy to learn everyone's sweater had cute meanings too. Fengs was a gift from her team, David's a gift from his coach and Meg's a gift from her mother on their last christmas together. After a small silence heturns to Jake waiting for him to tell his story. It was the one he was looking forward to the most. The man looks down at the sweater and shrugs. 

"I got it for myself when I moved out. For my first Christmas." Jake says with about as much enthusiam as a grave. 

"Does your family not celebrate? Not a very festive sweater." Quentin asks, having thrown the green and red striped sweater into the fire the moment Jake held it out to him. Dwight wasn't really judging since it was a cruel joke of the fog.

"No. My...my dad wasn't a big fan of it. My mom loved it but he never let us celebrate since its not traditional." Jake says, making big air quotes.

"So you went all out, yeah?" Adam asks from across the campfire. This draws a twitch of a smile from Jake.

"Yeah. Roasted chesnuts on an open fire and everything." Jake replies, fondness slipping into his tone, "I uh, cut down my own Christmas tree."

"Oh my god." Feng snorts, "Are you serious?"

"Mhm."

"With an axe?" 

"I used a chainsaw, but yeah. Decorated it with popcorn strings since I didn't have any ornaments. Was pretty fun."

"Only you could be happy alone on Christmas." Dwight teases, gently nudging Jake with his knee. 

"What about you then, Pizza Boy?" Nea asks, "Spill your sweater story."

Dwight glamces down at the garment, feeling a smile come to his face at the sight of it. 

"Last year, before ending up here, the office holiday party had a Yankee Swap event-"

"A what?" Kate interrupts.

"Secret Santa but you get to swap gifts." Dwight explains, earning an ah of understanding from the woman. 

"Uh, anyway I already got my gift and wasn't really paying attention to the game and one of my co-works...Linda I think? Got this and immedietly swapped me. Since they...knew I used to work in pizza."

The story earns a few laughs from the others, and the line moves down to Nea's story. It continues until Ace, Bill, Feng and Laurie were called to trial. The small group slowly disperces until a only him, Jake and Adam remain at the fire. 

Dwight's mind drifts back to the fond memory. Most of his time at the office was spent being ignored, loaded up with work, and at worst laughed at. To say his co-workers were mean or rude to him wasn't true, they were polite and distant. They had made it clear Dwight wasn't exactly welcome to be a friend, but he was fine being a feature. Nothing more than a water cooler that could file papers and fetch coffee.

But that moment, all of them coming together to give him a gift. They had remembered a small detail about him. Everyone laughed but not at him it was an invitation for him to laugh with him. Be included, be happy, have friends, belong. Dwight sniffs and subtly wipes his eyes at the memory. A boot nudges his shoe, and he looks over at Jake. Head tilted curiously as he raises his supple eyebrows. 

"S'nothin." Dwight mumbles, "Just thinking."

"Dangerous stuff, yeah?" Adam says from across the campfire, "Not for my ears."

Adam was very good at reading people, which made sense given he was a teacher. He had always been fond of the gentle deep voice and strange twing of mingled accents. But he wasn't keen on sharing his personal foibles with the man just yet.

"Walk good you two." Adam offers with a tilt of his head as he stands, smiling kindly before departing.

Now that they were alone Jake scoots closer, dark eyes peering into Dwight's with an intensity that makes goosebumps appear on his arms. 

"I-It's nice to...feel included." Dwight admits, unable to cough up the words to describe his feelings, "I mean...I guess you wouldn't understand."

"No, I get you." Jake replies, "Being social isn't my forte, and I don't enjoy groupwork. But I like..." The man trails off. The crackle of fire covering his words. 

"Being included?" Dwight offers. Jake scratches his chin before shaking his head. 

"No...well not no but not really yes. It's more like...being understood."

Its amazing how Jake can pinpoint the exact insecurities that burrow deep inside Dwight's heart and soul. 

"It's nice when someone gets you. Maybe not perfectly, but when someone knows you well enough to make you happy. That's...nice."

His fingers stray to the woven leather bracelets at his wrists, running over the familiar worn texture. He made them when he was fifteen and so lonely it was rotting him inside. No one was mean to him, no one wanted him to hurt or cause him harm or bully him. But fuck he almost wishes someone cared enough to hate his guts. 

When he made the bracelets he promised himself that he would give one to his first friend. And now fourteen years later he still held two cuffs that marked him as a nobody to himself. He would put them on every day and wondered if he really was going to the grave with them. Alone. 

"Dwight?"

He looks up at Jake, realizing the man had scooted so close their shoulders brushed. 

"Hmm?"

"...Nothing."

"Oh! Uh, okay." Dwight laughs awkwardly and runs his fingers through his hair, "I...I think I'm gonna go for a walk."

Jake nods and rises, patting Dwight's shoulder as he heads towards his shelter. He stares at the fire in silence, letting time slide over him. Eventually more drift back to the fire and Dwight isn't alone anymore. Though he feels that way, part of him understands that he isn't here. Not really. That he will always have people that care for him in some vauge way, but its hard to let himself enjoy the small comfort. Hard to let himself be vulnerable even now.

\- - -

Dwight makes his way through the corn, listening to the whistling winds and creaking dead branches of the massive tree. Time was running short, eventually Quentin would need to open the door all the way. Which would in turn start the collapse, cutting their precious time shorter. 

Jake was out in the fields. Dwight wasn't sure where, but a gut instinct was tugging him towards the tree and near the rumbling generator. He had a feeling Jake had fallen to a deep wound delivered by one of the feral teens that was patrolling the area. Strange killers, rumor had it there were three of them but Dwight had only encountered a tall girl. Either way he was glad they didn't hunt as a team or they would be fucked. He sees a flash of Quentins golden aura before the ground shakes and begins to heat up. 

A groan draws his attention, and he breaks into a sprint. Jake had hidden himself as best he could between the roots of the massive tree. The large pool of blood below was partially disguised by the fresh pigs blood dripping from the corpse hung above. Jake looks up and a smile lights his pale pained face as Dwight crouches next to him. Jake lowers his gloved hand to reveal three deep gash on his side and back. Fresh crimson blood gushs out of the wounds, further soaking the dark denim of his vest. 

Dwight couldn't patch Jake up. The wounds were too deep and he didn't have a medkit on him. The clock was ticking. Jake lifts a hand and points in the direction of the door. 

"Go." The man mouths, hand dropping away as if the act of pointing had drained him of any strength he had left. 

He wraps Jake's arm around his shoulders and lifts him up. The action pulls a cry of pain from Jake, no amount of meditation in the world could keep this hurt at bay. Dwight takes a step forward, supporting most of Jake's weight as the man struggles to walk with him. The door wasn't too far away. They could make it if they tried- they could survive if they tried. 

He can feel breathing on his neck as Jake desperately tries to speak to him through groans of pain. Dwight ignores this and forges ahead. Even when Jake stumbles he keeps walking. His sweater becomes damp with warm blood where it touches Jake, so much in fact Dwight could feel it running down his leg. That can't be good, its not often killers leave anyone incapacitated for so long. Hell, by the looks of it Jake had out run the killer and fallen from the deep wounds the teens always seemed to inflict.

Dwight adjusts his grip on Jake, pulling the arm further up as heat from the ground begins to burn his feet. Through the silence he can hear a familiar rush of wind. 

No. 

No. 

He drops to his knees, gently setting Jake on the ground. The mans head lolls to the side, dark eyes open and glassy. They had been so close, so fucking close to the exit. Something in him throbs in agony as he looks at Jake's corpse. He had seen it hanging from a hook more times than he could count, heard muffled screams of agony as a killer took his life with his own hands. Through all the trials, all the pain, he had never seen another die like this. Fuck- he might have been dead for a while before Dwight even noticed. 

Death wasn't a stranger to anyone in the fog. Even if it was a strange sort of placebo death. More like falling asleep than loosing life. You'll be back and rarin to go before you know it. One would imagine you would get used to it. Dying, and watching others die. 

Tears cloud his eyes as he stares at the corpse, hands burning as the ground below him rumbles. Maybe if he hadn't used up the medkit he brought in Jake could have gotten out, spared him the pain of another death. The slow bleedout into the dirt like an animal. Sobs break through the silence, and Dwight decided he was going to die here too. 

A hand grips his shoulder, and he turns to see the wide eyed mask of the killer staring down. He looks back at Jake's body, guilt and frustration coursing through him. The emotions are oerwhelming and painful. He deserved to die for failing his best friend, failing to protect him, to be a leader. 

The hand moves to grip his arm and drags him away from Jake. In desperation Dwight reaches out, barely touching the cold hand before he's thrown by the girl with a suprsingly monsterous strength. He falls halfway into the hatch, scrabbling to pull himself out as the killer kicks him into the dark warmth of the abyss. 

The forest appears around him, and he breaks into a run. He avoids the campfire, running parallel to it in an attempt to find him. They appeared in the forest, only a couple hundred yards from the fire. Jake had to be close. The only people to die were Jake and Claudette, it wouldn't take too long for them to reanimate. He stumbles over a log and falls, cursing angrily. The tears come again and he sits, trying to catch his breath and calm down. He could feel so much emotions inside him, overwhelming and crushing him. It was hard to breath, hard to think. He was choking on his own air. 

"Dwight?" Jake calls from his left. 

He leaps to his feet, sprinting towards the voice with renewed vigor. Jake's form comes into view, denim jacket clean of blood and his face was full of color. He looked absolutely beautiful with a slight smile. 

Dwight throws himself at Jake, wrapping his arms around the man as he stumbles and falls to the ground with a grunt of shock. He buries his face into Jakes scarf clad neck, inhaling slowly and evenly. His emotions start to settle as Jake's arms wrap around him and squeeze back. 

"Miss me?" Jake whispers, a laugh on his voice that sounds like music. 

"I'm so sorry. I-I'm so sorry Jake I should've been able to save you I-"

"Hey, Hey Dwight it's okay," Jake says gently, hand coming up to rest in his hair, "Deep breaths man. It's okay."

He does as told, breathing slow and easy through his hiccups. Emotions start to settle, and his mind feels a little more clear as Jake rubs his back. 

"Did it hurt?" Dwight whispers. 

"...Yeah. It hurt a lot." Jake murmmers, "A lot more than anything else I've ever been through. But you being there made it easier."

He nods, breathing in the smell of pine and smoke off Jake's scarf. It calms him faster than any anti-anxiety medication ever did. Jake relaxes under him, and Dwight would give anything for them to stay like this forever. They deserved better, they deserved to sit and relax in the fucking sunshine together. Not die over and over again. Dwight pulls back, breathing out slowly and resting his hands on Jake's hips. The other reaches up and wipes tears off Dwight's cheeks. 

"What were you saying. Back in the trial."

Immedietly Jake's face turns bright red and he tugs his scarf up over his nose. 

"I...don't remember..." Jake mumbles.

"Oh, must not've been that important huh!" Dwight jokes. 

"It was." 

Silence falls between them for a few heartbeats, and Dwight smiles. 

"Tell me when you remember then."

"I will." Jake promises. 

Dwight feels his heart begin to race as he pulls off one of the bracelets from his wrist. He slips it over Jake's hand and ties it securly to the mans wrist. He watches Jake holds up his hand to examine the weaved leather. 

"Did you... make this?" 

He nods, "Yeah I uh...made then when I was like...fifteen? I didn't have any friends at the time and figured I would...give it to my first best friend."

"That's cute. That's real cute." Jake replies, running a gloved finger over the wooden beads, "Thank you."

Dwight leaves Jake's lap, standing before holding a hand out and pulling Jake up. Awkwardly dusting off a few pine nettles stuck to him before nodding towards the camp. Jake gives him a half smile and they walk side by side in silence for a bit. 

"You're uh, one of my first best friends too."Jake says so softly its almost lost to the woods, "You...mean a lot to me."

"Same here." Dwight replies, his hand brushing Jake. He hesitates and wonders if it would be too far to take the others hand in his own. 

They were friends after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smh these hoes gay


	4. Sealed Envelope

Jake couldn't help but think that there was nothing worse than your own thoughts once they turn against you. He would rather deal with every freak carrying a machete in this hellscape than his own mind deadset on torturing him. 

Deep breaths. In. Out. 

His breathing techniques do nothing to keep the waves of pointless anguish at bay. He wasn't good enough, he wasn't able to protect people, to be better, to step up. It was so easy to run and hide instead of stick around and deal with the consequences. It had always been like that with him. His room, a cabin, a forest. Running and hiding. 

"Jake?" Claudette's gentle voice breaks through and he flinches. Looking up at her and quickly wiping his eyes. 

"What?" He grumbles, voice sounding thick and pitiful. 

"Are...you okay?" She asks, kneeling down next to him and resting a small hand on his shoulder. 

He wasn't okay, not in this moment. Hell, he was hiding behind a rock far away from the fire and sobbing. Jake shakes his head, hugging his knees to his chest to hide his face. 

"Do you want to talk about it? I can go get someone if you don't want to talk to me" Claudette offers, voice soft and tender. 

As much as he would like to sit and wallow in his own thoughts until he can't breath, getting help was better than this. He suffered enough in trials. Gingerly he runs his fingers over the spot his bracelet should be.

"Get Dwight." Jake says softly, embarrassed to be asking for his crush so obviously, but he was well past worrying what others think at this moment. He could really use his best friend right about now. 

Claudette runs off into the forest, and Jake tries to breath while she's gone. He starts to feel oddly warm under his jacket, breaking out onto a sweat despite not doing anything. There was a pressure in his skull now, the same he had felt forever ago when he stood in shock as Dwight and David tried to kill eachother. It did nothing but make his thoughts fall darker and darker. Failurs flit through his mind, from trials to his old life. Everything that drove him away into the woods in the first place was suffocating him more than ever. 

"Jake?" 

He looks up to see Dwight sitting down infront of him. The man smiles as he takes Jake's hand and reties the other half of the bracelet to his wrist. 

"It appeard on me awhile ago. You okay?" The man asks, scooting around to sit next to Jake and allow their arms to brush. He feels warmth pulse through him at the contact. 

"Been better." Jake mumbles, taking a few breaths and feeling marginally calmer with Dwight around. 

"Not the trial, was it?" 

Not really. Didn't go well thats for damn sure but it wasn't anything he hadn't gone through before. Maybe it was all of the collective shit shows pilling up on him at last, the stress of endless life and death over and over again boiling and making him sob like a baby. Slowly he leans against Dwight's shoulder and closes his eyes. He can feel the mans arm wrap around him and pull him closer. 

"I was just thinking about how... I'm not...good enough I guess." Jake admits, voice barely above a whisper.

"You saved all of us countless time." Dwight offers up gently, "That counts for something, y'know?"

Jake knows that, he knows he has a blood debt with every person trapped in this hell. It does count for something, but it's impossibly hard not to listen to those nagging monsters in his mind. It's easier to ignore the ones that say he wasn't performing in trials because lord knows everyone has their off matches. But its the past that haunts him more. The life outside of this fog that he missed and hated. 

"Not here. I mean, this place is different than the world outside so its not hard to forgive myself for those transgressions." Jake waves his hand vaugly and Dwight nods in unspoken understanding. With a deep breath Jake continues.

"I was just...thinking about out there. My uh...family life wasn't really the best. I come from money so I never had to struggle in that way but my dad he..." Jake sighs and lifts his cap to run his fingers through his hair, "I was never enough for him."

Jake pauses, trying to collect his thoughts. This wasn't something he ever talked about with anyone before. At least not directly. It was difficult to think about, painful memories of his childhood and teenage years bubbling to the surface. 

"I have a brother."

"What, really?" Dwight asks in suprise. Jake looks over to see the man shrug, "Sorry you give off only child vibes."

It brings a bit of a smile to Jake's face. 

"My older brother, Waylon, he's like a prodigy. Always incredible at anything he did, dad loved him to pieces. I love him too, of course. Not his fault he's a golden boy." He smiles at the memory of his brother. It had been years since he had last seen him and that was before the fog. One of many regrets that only manifest after the possibility to do them is gone. 

"It always seemed like everything I did paled in comparison to him. My dad wanted me to be better, to go into buisness and be a little CEO duckling like Wayway but I...I just fucking hate that shit." Jake's voice cracks as he speaks and he holds in a sniffle. Feeling tears burn at his eyes.

"Didn't help that I wasn't good at it. I'm...not good at anything."

Dwight's arm tightens around him as Jake takes a few shaking breaths. Tears falling freely now. 

"I can't help but wonder what Dad thinks now that I'm gone. If he's upset or mad that I vanished into the woods." Jake continues, sniffling as he starts to physically shake, "He probably didn't even notice. I lived out there for two years before anyone even asked about me. Th-they don't even care that I'm gone, I bet they don't even know." 

He breaks into embassing and uncontrollable sobs. Dwight pulls him into his lap and Jake willingly presses his face into the mans sweater, letting himself openly weep. Something hasn't done since he was a child, abd never in the presence of another soul.

"Jake, it doesn't matter." Dwight murmers in his ear, arms holding him close and steady, "I mean its awful that your dad is the way he is, and you had to grow up like that, but it doesn't matter now. Not anymore."

Jake nods, barely able to breath enough to cry, let alone talk.

"You don't have to make anyone proud here. You just have to survive and keep others alive. And god Jake you are so fucking good at it." 

Dwight pushes him away a bit and their eyes meet. He feels Dwight wipe away his tears and looks down in embarassment.

"If your dad never cared for you, then don't care about what he thinks. So what if you're the family dissapointment that lives in the woods. They can't do that."

Jake smiles, and Dwight grins back. It makes his stomach twist at the sight. A spark of beauty in the murky fog. Jake wants to kiss him so badly it makes his heart throb and face burn. 

"Thank you." He says, leaning in and resting his head on Dwight's shoulder. The mans hands run over Jake's back in soothing patterns. 

"Anytime, Jake."

He hugs Dwight, happy to sit in the mans lap and hold him close for all time. Dwight lifts his hat and runs his fingers through Jakes hair, combing out the tangles. 

"What about your mom?"

"Huh?"

"She was nice right? Tell me about her."

Jake smiles, running his hands up and down Dwight's back. That was a fun subject, he really loved his mom. 

"She was great. Always very supportive of me and Wayway. Never intentionally put us over eachother. She'd always take me on walks around the park and let me camp in the backyard with Wayway despite how mad dad got for ruining the lawn." Jake rambles, smiling at the memories, "Would tell me ghost stories every night even after she warned me I'd get nightmares."

Dwight laughs, and Jake's heart starts to beat fast. He wants to kiss him so badly, to bring their relationship to the next level. 

"Did you?" The man asks.

"Yeah. But I never told her."

They were just friends. That's what Dwight wanted, and he was happy to give it to him. He can't take his friendship away from Dwight to make himself happier. To lose the man was to lose everything he had here. 

"Cute." Dwight teases, fingers twirling a few strands of hair, "I know she cares that you're gone."

Jake nods, leaning back to look down at Dwight's smiling face.

"I'm proud of you, always will be."

Something inside of him breaks at those words. As much as his mom and brother loved him they had never said what he needed to hear most. That small phrase, that simple sentiment. Even if Jake wasn't doing enough, wasn't good enough, would never be good enough. Even if all that was true, to know someone was proud of him no matter what shook him to his core. 

Jake buries his fingers in Dwight's hair and yanks him forward. He closes his eyes and presses their lips together in pure desperation. He feels Dwight still under him and let out a shocked noise. Jake pulls back almost as quickly, staring at Dwight's bright red face and crooked glasses. 

"J-Jake I-"

"Don't." Jake interrupts, backtracking quickly, "I just got overwhelmed don't think anything of it."

Dwight nods quickly as Jake stands and helps him up. Jake offers a soft smile that Dwight returns with difficulty. 

"I'm proud of you too." Jake says, subtly standing and moving away to put distance between them. He crossed a line and knows they wouldn't be able to go back. 

"O-oh! Thank you!" The mans forced smile melts to a natural one, and Jake relaxes. 

It would be fine in the end.


	5. Unique Wedding Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway! This chapter features golden boy quen for a brief moment and special guest tr-

Quentin drops down next to Dwight and groans as his bones pop. The youth leans against the log and stretches his feet out so close to the flames Dwight's suprised he hasn't been lit up by the fire. 

"David says he found a syringe and said, I quote, 'Oi, Quen give this to Fairfield innit." Quentin says with deep resignation and an awful accent that always makes Dwight laugh.

"Tell him to keep it."

"I can't stand you two." Quentin replies, "I dunno what the hell went down between you guys but maybe get over it."

"Not until he apologizes."

Quentin lets out a groan and tosses a few strands of grass into the fire. He does feel bad for unofficially assigning Quentin as his and David's go between outside of trials. He was a good kid, didn't deserve what he went through. How the man became friends with an asshole like David was a miracle. Speaking of, Quentin might be able to help him with his issues. 

"Hey Quen, I need some advice."

The man looks up at him and raises his eyebrows. The bags under his eyes somehow look worse in the flickering firelight. He wishes he could somehow get the kid some sleep. 

"Its uh, about Jake."

"Your dirt boyfriend?" Quentin shoots back immedietly, small smirk appearing on his face as Dwight gently kicks his side. 

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Sorry, dirt _bestfriend_." Quentin snickers at him and Dwight rolls his eyes, "What's up?"

Dwight sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. He was very embarrassed about what had happened...a while ago? It's hard to quantify time here considering nothing seems to change. But it was at least a few trials ago. So far things had been pretty normal between them since then. Maybe Jake sat a little closer to him or Dwight let his hands linger a little longer than usual when stitching him up.

"So uh...we kissed and-"

"Nice." Quentin interuppts, holding a hand up for a high five. Dwight weakly recipricates it, not one to leave his buddies hanging. 

"Anyway Jake said it doesn't mean anything, and it doesn't y'know it was a spur of the moment thing..." Dwight continues, trailing off as Quentin gets a bigger and more incredulous smile on his face.

"What?" He huffs angrily as Quentin laughs and turns back to the fire. 

"Nothin', nothin'. Quentin says as his laughs die down, "You two are just so damn cute. Its nauseating."

"Oh fuck off."

"Did you like it?" Quentin asks, suddenly growing rather serious. 

He bites his lips, staring into the endless writhing flames of the campfire. The kiss was sudden over quick. He knew Jake was in a lot of distress at the moment, and that the action was just a desperate plea for intamacy in a horrible time. 

But god he liked it, more than like he was pretty sure he loved it. Not as if he had never been kissed before but...there was something too it. He and Jake were connected by blood and suffering. 

"I-I did..." He admits softly, feeling his face heat up in embarassment. 

"Cool. You should tell him." 

Dwight groans and buries his face in his hands. Why was Quentin so straightforward all the time. Maybe he should've talked to Claudette or Adam about this. 

"Really?" 

Quentin shrugs, "Why not. Nothing to lose while were here, no point in waiting until the last minute when this nightmare ends to confess. Tell Jake you like him, you're a thirty year old man not a teenager." 

That was a good point, there wasn't really anything to lose in asking Jake about it. Worse things worse it really was nothing and he feels embarrassed for a few trials then gets over it. God Quentin was so good at giving advice. 

"Yeah...yeah I'll go talk to him!" Dwight says, standing while he still has a backbone. 

"Good luck." Quentin calls with a wave as Dwight marches into the woods. 

He walks down the slightly more beaten path towards Jake's fort. With every step his confidence starts to trickle away as he approaches the shelter. The curtain was drawn and Dwight nervously taps the tarp. 

"Jake? You up?" 

Rustling sounds from behind the curtain and Jake moves it aside. Of course the guy was in a tanktop, his bare and slightly muscled arms always distracted him. He quickly looks at Jake's face to see a small smile appear. 

"Hey." 

Jake retreats into the recesses of his shelter and Dwight follows, happy to see it was lit by a gas lantern Jake had gotten with his weird miners outfit. The low light makes the shelter very cozy. Jake leans against the wall and watches Dwight with a small smile, it makes the butterflies in his stomach intensifie. 

"What are you up to?" Dwight asks, backing out of his plan to talk about anything that was slightly personal. 

"Found a book out there.Was some weird shack and it was sitting on a table." Jake replies, holding up a plain leather bound journal.

There were plenty of odd things in the forest. Dilapidated houses, office buildings, cars fused with rocks, endless fields of wheat and more horrifying; corn. They don't explore too far out from the campfire despite the endless expanses of their little hell. Once they moved further from the safety of the fire and the treeline reality starts to...bleed. The fog swirls on the horizons more noticeably once the trees are gone, half built impossible houses, mashed up buildings, and temples crouch in the wheat fields like crypts or wolves. Bill, Ace, and Ash seemes to enjoy exploring those houses on occasion. He knew Nea tagged along a few times but Dwight was too afraid to step anywhere near the fields, on his own or otherwise. He was afraid that he would wonder too far and end up in the realms of the boogeyman that hunted them.

"You went into the fields?" Dwight asks, concern for Jake's safety now forfront. 

"I was going to, Ash dragged me along. The shack was still a ways away so I called it there and came back." Jake admits, marking his spot in the novel with a knotted square of faded cloth, "Place makes my skin crawl."

"That book any good?" 

Jake shrugs, looking at the blank cover before passing it to Dwight to inspect. The book is black and bound in a strange type of leather. The pages are thick and when he flips through them he finds neat handwritten lines of text along with a few strangly familar sketches. It was like nothing he had ever seen before in the Fog. 

"Kinda. I can't tell if it's some sort of biography or autobiography or weird work of fiction." Jake admits with a shrug, "It's about a guy named Evan and his shitty father running a coal mine or something."

Dwight runs his fingers down the spine of the book. Their was no tital or author, as if the thing manifested out of the abyss even though it was obviously crafted with painstaking care. The idea of it being a autobiography made him very sad. The ones at the fire were not the only inhanitants here. He assumes that beyond the fields and fog more campfires exist with more victims milling about. Maybe this was a piece that had floated over to here when the fog was thick. 

"Do you like it?" Dwight asks, setting the book down next to the lanten. Jake stares at it for a few moments. 

"Yeah, I relate to the main guy enough. Seems like a nice person. Similar daddy issues."

"Can I read it after you?" 

"Of course." 

Silence falls between them. The lamp light flickers and casts Jake in very lovely warm light. Dwight tries to build up his confidence again and just tell Jake that he really liked the kiss. It's not like he was admitting anything beyond complimenting Jake's kissing skills and maybe possibly suggesting that he can do it again if he wants but only if he wants to. Nervously he shoves his hands into his hoodie pockets. He runs his fingers over the ring he had found in the forest earlier, he shoved it into his pocket and forgot about it until now. Pulling it out he examins the delicate silver metal band. 

The three diamonds glint softly in the lamp light, sparking in all the wrong ways. As if light wasn't working correctly. Against his skin the metal seems to hum slightly, but it was impossible to tell if that was real or a figment of his imagination. On the inner band the letters S&J are carved into the surface. He looks up to see Jake eyeing the ring curiously as well. Dwight holds it out for him to take. 

"It's a wedding ring, I think. Found it in the woods." Dwight offers, desperatly searching for his last dredges of confidece and coming up empty.

"Odd." Jake says, looking over the ring as well. Dwight watches him slip the ring onto his left hands ring finger and smiles. 

"Looks good on you." Dwight teases. Trying to cover up how the sight of Jake in a wedding ring was making him feel. 

"Really?" Jake batts his eyes and shakes his head, pulling the ring off and passing it back. 

Dwight tucks the ring away into his pocket and sits back. A boot nudges his leg and he looks back to Jake expectantly. 

"What's on your mind?" Jake questions, dark eyes piercing and gentle. 

"I really liked it when you kissed me." Dwight breaths out in a rush. It takes a moment for his shame to catch up with him and his heart to start beating faster than a race horse. 

He watch shock appear on Jake's face before fading into understanding. A pink blush rises to the mans cheeks and he tugs his cap down slightly. Dwight bites his lip and brings his knees to his chest, trying to make himself smaller. 

"D-Did you really?" Jake mumbles, seemingly unable to look at Dwight directly. 

He wishes he could melt into the fog instead of being in a tight space after admitting such a risky and embarrassing thing. He watches Jake run his fingers over the bracelet at his wrist. 

"Yeah I uh, it was...nice. Been on my mind since...it...happened..." Dwight admits. He feels like he's going to throw up endless bile like in the Pristeses trials. 

"Me too." Jake replies. Dwight can hear him take a slow breath and meet his eyes. The mans face was bright red in the soft lamp light. 

His breath catches in his chest at the admission. Jake liked it too. Could that mean Jake also want more out of their relationship. They stare at eachother in silence, both too nervous to make a move. Dwight takes a breath and sits up, slowly crawling over to Jake. The air between them feels hot as Dwight slowly leans in. Jake makes no move to pull away, but worry gnaws at his mind. 

"Can I kiss you?" Dwight whispers, too afraid to raise his voice.

"Please." Jake replies, voice breathless and excited. 

Dwight tilts his head and presses their lips together. This time its much slower and softer. Jake's lips are slightly chapped but the man seems to radiate warmth. He can feels Jake's hands run up his arms and grip his biceps as he slowly presses into the kiss. Dwight pulls away enough to look at Jake, and he can't help but smile nervously. 

"Are we still friends?" Jake asks with a small laugh. 

"Of course." 

The seriousness in his voice suprises even himself. No matter what happened Jake would always be his friend. Hopefully more, but never less. The silence between then was comforting, and Dwight leans in for a second kiss. 

Then a third.

Then a fourth. 

For then first time in a long time, in or out of the fog, he feels at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is very short but cute so i goes up now too.


	6. Fresh Primrose Blossom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!

Jake catches sight of Dwight sitting at the edge of the pond and smiles. He lightens his steps, walking over nettles and twigs silently as he approaches the unsuspecting man. Dwight was idly brushing his fingers against the still water of the pond, no doubt lost in thought. Slowly he rests a hand on Dwight's shoulder and laughs gently when the man jumps with a shout. Dwight turns and gived him a small glare as Jake sits. He wraps an arm around Dwight and pulls him closer. The man rests his head on Jake's shoulder and sighs. 

"What's on your mind?" Jake offers, running his hand over Dwight's back comfortingly. 

Dating wasn't easy in the fog, or really an option. But he and Dwight had worked out a good enough relationship. They both weren't into public displays of affection so there was no reason to announce it to the group as a whole. Though he had a feeling that Dwight told Quentin, and Quentin told David. Since David was constantly smirking and making weird comments at him. 

"Lot's of stuff." Dwight replies, voice light and sad, "I...miss making pizza."

Jake snorts, barely able to hold back a laugh, "Do you really?"

"Honestly? Yeah. I miss being able to just...do stuff." Dwight admits, "Not that I did much out there but..." 

"I miss chopping wood." Jake says after Dwight trails off. This earns him a small laugh. 

He can tell there's more to Dwight's words than he was letting on, and carefully attempts to extract them. 

"I miss the sunset." Jake says, "There's this raspberry patch near my cabin. I used to make jam every spring and summer. I miss that." 

Dwight sniffles, and he can feels tears drip onto his flannel and vest. Slowly the man breaths and after a few false starts he speaks again. 

"D-Do you think we'll ever get put of here?" Dwight asks, struggling through tears, "Or fuck do you think we'll ever actually die?"

Jake doesn't have an answer for that. He stares into the still water, holding Dwight close as he shrugs. 

"I don't know..." 

He stares at the water and wonders what they did to deserve this hell. Surly it was nothing, he just happened to be lucky enough to get scooped up one day as he walked the forest around his cabin. Just as lucky as Dwight had been left out in the woods that night. There was no reason for any of them to be here and suffere. It could have as well been his brother, or neighbor that was taken away. 

"If...something like this can exist then something out there can destroy it." Jake says, watching the fog swirl along the surface of the water, "I mean this thing is pure evil, right? Then something out there has to be pure good. Or hope. Or something."

Dwight pulls away and wipes his eyes. Jake is happy to see a smile on his face so he double down on his ramblings. 

"I think we're gonna get out of here eventually. Get plopped down wherever we were picked up and get on with living again."

He watches as the smile fades from Dwight's face and he tilts his head, wondering what ge gad said to set Dwight thinking so hard. 

"When we get out of here...will we...remember all this?" Dwight says carefully. 

Dread wells up in Jake's heart at the thought of loosing what they've gone through together. Sure it was a nightmare of blood gore and pain, he would give almost anything to forget about this nightmare. But if that came at the cost of losing Dwight and everyone else he had grown close with...

"I don't know." Jake replies truthfully. He feels tears prick at his eyes as he looks at Dwight and imagines losing him. 

"I don't want to lose you." Dwight whispers, warm brown eyes so bright and beautiful in the dim light. All the colors the rainbow had forgotten. 

Jake reaches out and grabs Dwight's hand, entwining their fingers and holding on for dear life. It's at that moment he decides he's going to be good enough. He's not going to settle for anything less than having the love of his life with him again. He's not going to be the second choice anymore. 

More than anything, he won't be alone anymore. 

"You won't. I'll never forget you, Dwight. Even if the monster holding us here collapses and kills us forever I won't forget." His voice cracks and the love his life blurrs before him. 

"...If we get out of here, and end up back where we started...I won't forget you. I'll find you, no matter what." Dwight says, voice so gentle and sweet it makes the tears fall. 

"Even if I have nothing left, I know I'll have you." Jake says, leaning in and pressing his trembling lips to Dwight, "I promise, my soul will find you again."

The fog swirls around them, as cold and callous as ever. But hope lights up in Jake's chest, and he knows their days of suffering are numbered. 

Death is not an escape, but they will get out someday. He knows in his heart that the universe is kind, and that they will be restored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This bleeds right into calm spirit bcs god damn they enjoy their happy ending! Thank you for reading!


End file.
